Stoker mechanism



March 27, 1934.

E. A. TURNER STOKER MECHANISM Filed June 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR March 27, 1934. A. TURNER swoxsn mscmmrsu Filed June 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENT OR Fatented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES STOKER MECHANISM Edwin Archer Turner, New York, N. Y., assignoi to The Standard Stoker Company, Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Application June 26, 1930, Serial No. 463,846

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to locomotive stokers of the type employing communicating but.

separated fuel transferring and elevating conveyors, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved drive arrangement for imparting motion to the conveyors from a common source of power.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a conveyor driving means wherein the gear drive for theelevating conveyor is directly associated with the prime mover and drives the elevating unit through a flexibly connected telescoping drive shaft section. On the drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a locomotive and tender with the apparatus of this invention shown thereon and some parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 with portions of the. tender broken away;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

On the drawings the numeral 10 designates a locomotive having a firebox 11 provided with a rear wall 12 having a firing opening 13 therein which is located a sufficient distance above the grates 14 to permit the fuel to be scattered over the firebed. The floor or firing deck 15 of the cab 16 extends rearwardly from the firebox backwall and is in substantial alignment with the floor 17 of the tender indicated as a whole by the numeral 18. The tender includes a fuel supply bin 19 which is located above the fioor 17 provided with the usual slide plates 20 which are shiftable to create an opening 21 through which the fuel may be fed by gravity to the stoker 40 mechanism which ordinarily is mounted beneath the floor 17 above the tender frame 22.

The embodiment of the invention selected to illustrate the invention provides a stoking device including a fuel feeding conduit system composed of a rear or trough section 23 rigidly mounted on the tender and disposed below the floor 17 thereof extending longitudinally along the vertical center line of the tender in a position to receive fuel through the opening 21, a forward or elevator conduit section 24 rigidly mounted on the locomotive and at its upper end delivering fuel to the firebox 11 through the firing opening 13 of the backwall, and an intermediate conduit 25 extending between the rear and forward conduits and'so related with each as to permit the flexibility of parts required between the locomotive and its tender.

The rear conduit or trough may be of any suitable construction fixedly supported beneath the fuel bin or if preferred, forming an integral part 'i thereof. The forward end of the trough 23 terminates in an extension 26 forming a. hollow shell which is received in a spherical portion 2'7 of the rear tubular section 28 of the intermediate conduit 25, the front section 29 of this conduit 1 telescopes with the rear section and carries at its forward end a spherical ball 30 cooperating with a horizontal split spherical flange 31 formed in the lower portion of the elevator conduit 24 to form a flexible joint connection betweenthe 701' two conduits. In the construction illustrated the front end of the intermediate conduit 25 is, oifset from the rearward end of the elevator conduit 24, their adjacent ends being so related that the fuel passes 752 from the intermediate conduit directly into the lower portion of the elevator conduit.

The rigid elevator conduit 24 is carried on the locomotive by a bracket 32 extending. rearward: ly from the firebox backwall. the elevator conduit opens into the firing opening 13 and delivers fuel on to the distributing plate member 33 which may be of any preferred form.

Suitable means is provided for conveying the fuel through the conduits. This means is formed as shown by a series of screw conveyors, the two rear sections 34 and 35 being mounted for rotation in the trough 23 and intermediate conduit 25 respectively. The two screw sections are universally connected within the shell member 26 as is customary in the art and as the joint structure forms no part of the invention it is not shown. The third or forward screw section 36 is mounted in the elevator conduit 24 and is driven -'separately from the rearward screw sections through suitable means as will presently appear;

From another aspect of the invention the trough 23 and intermediate conduit 25-may be considered in its entirety as a transferring conveyor universally connected at 31 to therigid elevator conduit 24 in the relation shown so that the screw within the elevator is separated from and driven independently from the screw within the transferring conveyor. An improved means for driving the screw conveyors is provided by this invention. The drive for the transferring conveyor screw sections 34 and 35 includes an engine or driving motor 40 suitably supported on the bracket 41 mounted on the left front corner of the tender frame 22. Preferably, a two cylinder The upper end of 80 I m'fshaf-t 42 drives the transferring screw sections engine is used and having a crank shaft 42 extending to opposite sides of the engine casing disposed substantially parallel with the vertical longitudinal center line of the transfer conveyor and such shaft is flexibly connected at its tender end by the universal joint 43 with the rearward section 44 of the conveyor drive shaft which includes the forward telescoping section 45. The rearward section 44 of the drive shaft at its rearward end is universally connected at 46 with gearing 47 mounted at the rearward end of the transe ferring conveyor or trough 23. The gearing 47 transmits power to the transferring screw 34 through the shaft 48 operatively connected to the. rear end of the screw 34 many suitable manner. The end of the crank shaft 42 opposite the joint 43 carries a worm 50 meshing with the worm wheel 51 mounted on the transverse shaft 52 journaled at its ends in the casing 53 which is detachably secured to the locomotive side of thedriving motor 40. In eifect this. casing is a part of the. driving motor. The transverse shaft 52 carries the spiral gear 54 which in turn drives the gear 55. mounted on the. shaft 56 which extends transversely of the shaft 52 and substantially parallel with the crankshaft 42 and thetransferring conveyor.

The shaft 56 as. best shown in Fig. 4 is journaledin the casing 53. and at its forward or 10- comotive. end extends through the casing to. carry the. universal joint 60; Through the joint. 60 the gearing. is flexibly connected with the. rearward end of the. forward, drive shaft section 45 being carried by theinner member 61 which telejscopes with the. outershell. 62 which is flexibly connected with the elevator screw 36through the universal joint 631 Thus it. will be seen in operating the stoking device. the. driving. motor. 40 through its crank 34 'and 35; through. the. flexibly connected rear drive shaft section. 44 andzthe. gearing 47 and drives the'elevator. screw. 36 at any desired rate of. speed. throughthe gearing within the casing 53- transmitting. power v through. the. flexibly connected and telescoping forwardv driveshaft sectionl45.

The flexible. mounting of thedrive shaft and the! provision ofat least one of its sections being telescopic. permits. the motor 40.and the gearing within thecasing 53 to be mounted in any desired position onthe tender. to suit the various structural. diiierencesin. locomotives and. tenders of.

the. dilferent types tov which the stoking mechan'ism isinstalled, and alsoprovides-for the articuthis invention for by so doing the necessity for V gearing at the base of the elevator conduit 24 is obviated. "The use of gearingat the base of the elevator is objectionable because it is impossible to prevent the coal dust from working into the gearing and the dust mixing with the lubricant forms'a griiiding compound and'ina relatively short time creates excessive wear on the gears resulting in excessive maintenance cost and fre quent renewal. It is also a fact that with many locomotives there is not sufficient space to permit the use of gearing at the base of the elevator screw in a stoking mechanism of the class disclosed wherein the lower end of the elevator is disposed below the forward end of the transferring conduit.

This invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the parts of the stoker drive as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a locomotive having a tender, a Stoker having a transferring conduit mounted longitudinally of the tender and a single inclined elevating conduit on the locomotive adapted to receive fuel by gravity from said transferring conduit, the lower end of said inclined elevating conduit being disposed below the forward end of said transferring conduit, a spherical flange extending rearwardly of said elevating conduit and above. the. lower end thereof; saidv sphericalflange constituting one element of a ball and socket connection between said. conduits, a conveyor in said inclined conduit and a conveyor in said transferring conduit, drivemechanism for said conveyors carried by the tender and comprising a. prime mover including a rotatablepower shaft, a casing adjacent andrigid. with saidprime mover and arranged toreoeive one. end of saidpower shaft, a. gear on the. end of the. power shaft received byv saidcasing, a driven. shaft mounted-in said casing, a gear on said driven. shaft enclosedby said casing and arranged tobe. driven by. the first named gear, and an extensible and contractible shaft connected at its rear end with said driven shaft and at; its forward end universally connected directly with said elevating conveyor at a point. rearward: of. said inclined conduit and immediately beneath said. spherical flange, said.

transferring conveyor being. operatively connected with said drive mechanism.

2; In combination with a. locomotive having a tender, a stoker having a transferring conduit mounted longitudinally of the tender, andasingle inclined elevating conduit on the: locomotive adapted to receive. fuel; by gravity: from said.

ran f n c nduit. he o r nd. f: aid 1 i e e atin onduit be n dis os d. below h r ard. en s d; r ns r in onduit. a.

spherical flange extending rearwardly -of;said,ele vating; conduit and; above the lower end thereof said sphericalflange constitutin one element of; av ball and socket connection between. said c,on duits, av conveyor in said inclined conduit and a. conveyor in said transferring. conduit, drive mechanism for said. conveyors mountedvon the tender andcomprising aprime mover including a rotatable. power shaft, av casing carried by said. prime mover and arranged toreceive one endof 1'.

saidpower shaft, av gear on the end of the power shaft. received by. said casing, a driven shaft mounted in said casing, a, gear onsaid driven shaft enclosed by saidjcasing and arranged to be driven by the. first named gear, and means operatively connecting said driven shaft with said elevating conveyor including a universal joint connected directly with the .elevatingconveyorat a point rearward of said inclined conduit and immediately beneath said spherical flange, said transferring conveyor being operatively con--v nected with said drive mechanism.

3. In combination witha locomotivehaving a; tender, a stoker having a transferringconduit mountedlongitudinally of the tender and an elevating conduit on the locomotive adapted to receive fuel by gravity from said transferring conduit, the lower end of said inclined elevating conduit being disposed below the forward end of said transferring conduit, a spherical flange extending rearwardly of said elevating conduit and above the lower end thereof, said spherical flange constituting one element of a ball and socket connection between said conduits, a conveyor in said inclined conduit and a conveyor in said transferring conduit, drive mechanism for said conveyors comprising a prime mover including a rotatable power shaft, a casing adjacent and rigid with said prime mover and arranged to receive one end of said power shaft, a gear on the end of the power shaft received by said casing, an intermediate shaft mounted in said casing, a gear on the intermediate shaft driven by said first named gear, a second gear on the intermediate shaft, a driven shaft mounted in saidcasing, and a gear on the driven shaft driven by the second named gear on the intermediate shaft, an extensible and contractible shaft at its extremities connected by universal joints to said driven shaft and said elevating conveyor respectively, the universal joint connecting said elevator conveyor with said contractible and expansible shaft being disposed rearward of said inclined conduit and immediately beneath said spherical flange, and a drive shaft operatively connecting said transferring conveyor and said drive mechanism.

E. ARCHER TURNER. 

